Definitely recommend May or early June. I was doing the "huckleberry breast stroke" almost the whole way from the lake to the top. It was a hot day and I took advantage of some lingering snow pockets to fill my hat and let it slowly melt. Waded into Lake Serene on the way out and it felt good enough to swim in. Philadelphia claimed my altimeter watch. Mt. Prophet tore the watchband off and the Philly huckleberry bushes plucked the remaining watch out of my pocket.

Did this one with Redwic at his suggestion. Bomb-proof snow on the ridge made for a great time. He's right, the views are better than expected. We heard and saw multiple rockfalls and snow plummeting off of Mount Index.

When I had heard that the summit of Philadelphia Mountain is covered by evergreen forest, I expected no-to-limited views. I received quite the opposite, with spectacular views both north and south. Along the western slopes of the mountain, views of Mount Index are very impressive. This was the perfect time of year for my hiking partner (Gimpilator, this time) and I to do this peak. as the avalanche danger had passed but a lot of backcountry snow travel was done. Highly recommended summit route.